Random Politics & Religion #00

I'd love to. Please let me.

Which populations are most hit by "economic factors" (why can't you own up and say poverty?)?

Which populations are portrayed more frequently in a more negative light by the media?

Which populations are subject to greater police scrutiny and systematically disproportionate prosecution and conviction?

Which populations are most likely to be treated as criminals for substance use?

Which populations show a much lower-than-average level of education?

In predominantly white areas, I mean places with over 90% of the population of ethnic European descent, you will find a population of white people who meet most of these criteria. Forgive the pop culture reference, but Kenny McCormick's family on the "wrong side of the tracks" is a pretty good example.

In ethnically diverse areas, and here I mean metropolitan areas, there's a strong unifying factor of race amongst all these other indices.

If you're interested in finding the causa causus, a root cause, it's disingenuous to dismiss that. Especially in light of the fact that, while we see many of these factors in impoverished white communities, the level of systemic prejudice and media scrutiny is measurably lower than that found in similar black communities.

Shifting gears slightly, lots of people get itchy talking about sexism in hiring practices and compensation, but there are scientific studies showing that identical resumes with a female name will get fewer offers than those bearing a male name. The hiring manager may not consider himself/herself sexist, but some underlying influence leads to them favoring one gender over another. And the problem is that sometimes the discrimination has a certain logical basis ("Do I want to hire a woman knowing that she could become pregnant and thereby take weeks of maternity or quit altogether?" is kind of a shitty thing to think, but it is logical).

Just because no one says, "I want to lynch darkies," doesn't mean they're not unintentionally engaging in nasty behavior. I'd like to believe I'm not prejudiced and yet I still watch myself when I'm in a poor and predominantly black neighborhood more than in more affluent and predominantly white neighborhoods. And black people do the same thing! Again, there is a basis for some of these behaviors, but the root cause of why poverty, poor education, higher rates of reported crime (crimes happen all the time in rich, white neighborhoods, but it gets hushed up better), and discriminatory practice points at an underlying prejudice of the other.

It happens that the other in this case is dark-skinned. Two centuries ago, it'd be dark skin or red hair, because the Irish were every bit as bad. And, hell, we wouldn't even let Asians immigrate to the US for quite a long time and, though they're slightly more accepted because they tend to be more focused on education and traditional affluence (as in, they "fit" better into hide-bound Euro-American norms), they still face a lot of uphill climbs.

I just can't dismiss race and the bigotry named "racism" from this problem. I also can't see a way to fix it.

The power to formulate an actual argument has been inside you all along.


Anything besides black v white gets blown off here because unless it's a problem that directly affects the people here then it isn't a problem (there's a word for that - starts with a 'p' and ends with 'rivilege'). It's the most sensational angle, we all know this. Now if the possibility that maybe - just maybe - discriminatory practices didn't end with the ratification of the 13th Amendment or the signing of the Civil Rights Act could be an acceptable basis for the argument here, then maybe these conversations could become more, I dunno, complex.

Until then we'll be stuck with the inevitable outcome of bootstrapiness and slaves should just run away bleep blop bloop.

I tried to make that point this morning with woeful results.

I'm just glad to see that you can form paragraphs when you want to. Short posts designed only to snipe people for doing things that you do also really isn't doing you any favors.

Says the guy that almost posts about nothing but to call liberals hypocrites...

You know, if you were honestly interest in the underlying causes of what you said, you wouldn't attribute nearly your entire post as a "hate white people, let's all give black people a break because they are 'systematically oppressed by everyone, including themselves'" rant.

Pleebo speaks for all liberals now?

Who knew?

There are no riots. Nothing is happening Nausi, shop as usual and avoid panic buying, it's all a fuzzy liberal media scam to get grandma hillary re-elected.

That's not at all what I said. Not even remotely.

You had the audacity to claim that I'm somehow the cause of the bile around here. You and your ilk's love of reductionist thinking and snide quips, both of which have been amply demonstrated on this page already, are far more to blame.

Since you have a serious grudge against me, here's the opinion of someone who has been a part of Baltimore for decades. I'm sure you'll dismiss every opinion he offers because it doesn't align with your rarefied environment: David Simon on Baltimore's Anguish

Incidentally, would you please make a point of learning what words mean? I did not write a rant. Disagreeing with you is not hypocrisy. You make yourself look like a fool for trying to apply random meanings to established words, but you've got a nice little claque who'll [+] every time you type today's secret word, so you don't even get the benefit of realizing your folly.

Again, your words would have a stronger meaning if you didn't contradict yourself in the next sentence....

Nobody else here have a more menacing series of posts here than you. You don't see it because, well, you are an angry guy. We get that. But remember, not everyone is angry like you and will see your words as some angry little kid throwing a tantrum because his mom didn't get him that latest game.

Seriously, anger management will go far for you.

Let's go over these one at a time.

You did write a rant.
I never accused you of hypocrisy.

But nice try. Step back, get laid or get drunk, come back with a different mindset, and read what you wrote again.

*Looks around*
Oh, you were talking to me?
*Looks at recent posts*
Uhhhh, hmm... Yeah, no. I'm sure there are a lot of valid complaints to use against me, but I'm having a really hard time figuring out what you're talking about with this one.

It IS called the criminal justice system....

Ignoring the fact that the guy cant walk and is screaming as they drag him into the transport unit and NO ONE makes an attempt at asking him if he needs medical attention.

More than likely what happened in this instance is the cop severed his spine with the takedown and his neck snapped from being loaded front first into a moving vehicle with no restraints. Which, by the way, is criminal negligence and/or homicide.

The only reason this much anger is added into the mix is because they had gone 16 days with no actual investigation nor any attempt to make one and then after the fact they announce that 19 days later after a riot takes place they are going to begin the investigation. On top of that, youre looking at an area that has a 95% arrest rate for young black males [via Stop and Frisk and normal arrest] (Which means that the arrest rate for all others is a combined 5%). Of which Freddy Greys LONG rap sheet is probably attributed to as well. So not only is it systemic in nature, its down right criminal profiling.

I admit, i was under the assumption this incident happened AFTER he went through booking (Jail cell violence is a thing) but after you hear the circumstances how can you NOT think that he would be alive today had they not done what it is presumed they had done (At this point, they are going to find some form of negligence because its clear there was). If he had ended up in prison then at some point someone had to have been doing their job correctly and he'd atleast be on his way to getting shived in the shower at the most in the forms of safety after due process.

News Flash:
Human being discriminate!

So what? It is in our nature to discriminate. Thinking a republican automatically doesn't care about the poor is just as discriminatory as thinking the young black male in a hoodie might be involved in that gang fight the other night. But for some reason in the magic progressive utopia we can think that way about republicans but we can't use that thought process when young black men are disproportionately involved in gang fights because of some skewed and distorted interpreted idea of "fairness".

Sigh... nevermind then.

Just you wait in the future when we are all brown from interbreeding. Then what !

The fact that you add a personal snipe in every single post, just makes it hard to take you seriously on any topic though.

I can agree with your sentiment, whilst simultaneously hating the fact that you're a terrible advocate for any point of view.

Maybe attack arguments instead of people.

Can I go get the bingo board?

The fact that you can't understand how it belongs there speaks volumes.

srs

Because those two things are exactly alike in every which way.

Only in your mind. Remember that discussion we had about tone?

Incidentally, thanks as always for dodging the discussion to turn this into yet another ad hominem. I almost want to keep a little scoreboard.

Meh. Since you'll think it's a victory to chase away the last few people who even bother debating with you, it's time to do that. I wonder if anyone else has noticed how a lot of former posters, even those who are still active on the site, have given up. I only pop in for a cameo anymore.

They're both discrimination. You're simply offering up your own prejudices as more righteous than others.

Both of you (again) need to look up the word in the dictionary and educate yourselves.

Following your logic train, you've just admitted that a disproportionate number Republicans don't care about the poor.

Sure, whatever.

I guess you think your posts are very tame, and mine are full of anger, huh?

Never mind that your words speak volumes, especially when you contradict your own statements in the same paragraph.

But yeah, blame me for your anger. I wouldn't doubt it that you actually do, on the other side of the screen.

No I didn't.

Looks like the correct thread to post this.


It's even blue!